Where the Girls Are

By Jan Wilberg

What I loved about yesterday’s stunning Republican debacle was seeing men who think they know it all get told to go sit down.

For weeks I’ve been watching House Speaker Paul Ryan’s smug ‘trust me’ videos on Facebook and Twitter. Then it was news of the President’s intense lobbying to get Ryan’s Obamacare replacement bill passed. The photos and videos, Ryan laughing with his Congressional pals, Trump meeting with thirty men to discuss women’s health care, all with ties hanging to their knees like their idol, made me wonder if all 21 female Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives had been kidnapped and put into witness protection.

Never mind that the Republican men pictured in the Ryan and Trump photos were all white. We just assume that. It’s not worth a comment actually.

But no women anywhere, ever talking about this bill? That’s something. And it’s a huge red flag. The bigger red flag, though, the one you could wrap around Yankee Stadium and still have enough left over for ruffles is that these guys didn’t even think they had to pretend to have women supporting them.

Here’s how low women rate with Republicans. They don’t even think they need a token. Any bunch of male fools wanting to impress the world knows you need at least one woman token. One gal who will talk like a man, actually worse than a man, because the real deal professional tokens know how to accentuate and elaborate. Ryan and Trump could have used someone like that. An elected member of the House who would stand up and confirm what the guys know to be true. Maternity care is for the weak! Just go squat in the field.

But they didn’t think it mattered if any women were in the picture or in the room or on the planet. They weren’t a factor for the Republicans.

It’s sobering. The Republicans control both houses of Congress, the Presidency, 33 state legislatures, and the Supreme Court. And you, if you’re female, you matter not to them.

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5 Responses to Where the Girls Are

It really baffles me, but then again I think it is the result of politically conservative men are usually also religious conservatives. In conservative churches women have very marginal roles, not even being seen as smart enough to teach in their church related high schools. It is so much a part of their world view/culture that neither men nor women recognize that it exists. Great post, Jan.

What happens here on Red's Wrap is all over the map. There is no single theme, no overarching gripe, no malady of my own or others that dominates. I write about what seems important or interesting at the moment. It could be about gracefully handling my own aging, being a good feminist, or finding out what it means to be a decent mother and grandmother. Nothing stays the same, here or anywhere. That's a good thing. Happiness. It's relative.

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